


Flash Fanfiction - Episode 22 - An Unlikely Pair

by Mindmarvel



Series: Flash Fanfic Introducing Mind Marvel [22]
Category: The Flash - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-06
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-27 16:32:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13884774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mindmarvel/pseuds/Mindmarvel
Summary: It's Valentines Day and the goddess Aphrodite is losing her powers. She needs people to worship her to keep them. She decides to use Barry and Astrid as examples. She casts a spell on them making them fall inlove, which means that Caitlin and Harry are left to figure out what is going on.





	1. Chapter 1

Caitlin stood on the step-ladder, happily humming and hanging Valentines decorations ready for tomorrow. Ever since Ray had returned back to Palmer Tech and Cisco had returned back to Gotham City, the 97th floor had lost its charm. Astrid had been tiring herself over with nothing but work… Harry was… well Harry, and even Barry seemed swamped with being the Flash and working at CCPD.

Caitlin glanced over as she saw Astrid walking towards her with a tablet in her hands. She groaned as she saw the heart decorations. "Caitlin, I need you to promise me, that while those… things... are hanging up, you will not call Cisco over from Gotham City. The last thing we need is the awkward tension over that horrible day. Whatever meta-human we come across this week, we do not need that dork's help. Please promise me."

Caitlin climbed down from the step ladder, "I had really thought that the two of you had been seeing eye to eye over the past few weeks."  
"We were, but as friends… despite any awkward unspoken emotions… which will remain unspoken as far as I'm concerned… That's why the last thing we need is him showing up. Thanks to him, this will be the first year I give our little Princess Bride tradition a miss. But I really hope that you and Barry have something planned for tomorrow. I don't need my cynicism to wash off onto either one of you." Astrid said.

Caitlin nodded, "We do. Barry has dinner planned at some surprise restaurant."  
Astrid looked over Caitlin's shoulder and smiled. She nodded over to Barry who had entered the cortex with a bouquet of flowers for Caitlin. "I'm going to leave the two of you for a moment…" she said as she went to turn on her heels.

"Actually… Astrid." Barry said as he handed the flowers to Caitlin and kissed his girlfriend on the cheek. "Singh sent me to come and get you. He said he needs your help on a case."  
Astrid raised her eyebrows at Barry. "I thought he had someone to fill my shoes over there." She knew that if Cisco were there he would make some joke about her comment, so she bit her tongue.

"He did, but this person has requested to speak with you… I mean, it just seems like some really unstable woman, but they want you regardless. Besides, the Criminal psychologist that he hired was a man so… he can't exactly fill your shoes… as Cisco would probably say." Barry replied.  
Astrid turned on her heels silently and headed towards Harry's office.

"Barry… You know not to mention that name… you know what day it is tomorrow... so she is a little on edge…" Caitlin said to Barry.  
"I forgot… what day is it?" he asked her, ignoring the red-heart shaped decorations.  
"It's Valentine's Day, silly. Remember? We have dinner planned?"

"So I guess I should get you some more flowers then… these ones were just… it's good to see you flowers…" Barry said.  
"Did you really forget, Barry?" Caitlin asked a little hurt.  
"No… it was a joke." He laughed.  
"Oh... that's good, then!'

Astrid gave Harry her tablet which had her checklist of jobs for that day. "So, Captain Singh needs me to head over to the station and interview some woman. Can you just get these things done for me, while I'm out? If you don't get through them all, that's fine… Just sit the meetings, and this press conference and…"  
"Astrid, It's handled okay." Harry said, "But it sure would be easier if Ramo…"

"Don't! Don't even mention his name!" She snapped as she left the office, to go with Barry to CCPD.  
Barry and Astrid made their way to CCPD where they were met by Captain Singh and Joe West. "You said that you needed me for a consult?" Astrid asked him.  
"I did. I know that this is all a little unorthodox considering you don't work here, but this woman asked to speak with you directly." Singh replied, as he handed her a stack of notes.  
"Okay… I'll go in to the office… send her in when you're ready." Astrid said.

She made her way to the office and cleaned it up a little. She felt a little nostalgic being here. She missed her old job, but priority dictated that she remained the CEO of STAR labs.  
The assistant brought in a cool jug of water and placed it on the desk with two glasses, one for her and one for whoever she was seeing.  
As she leant back in the comfortable black chair, the door opened. Joe brought in a blonde woman in a pink dress. She wore a lot of makeup, that Astrid couldn't decipher how old she was. 'Unstable my ass!' Astrid thought to herself.

This woman had confidence and she sat in the seat across from Astrid with a perfect posture. There was an aura about the woman. Astrid felt that she was in the presence of royalty, but she couldn't have been. Captain Singh would have told her so, were that the case. Joe nodded at Astrid as he left and closed the door behind him.  
"Good morning, miss…" Astrid began.  
"Aphrodite." The woman finished her sentence.

Astrid tried to hold back her laughter. 'That's what Singh meant by unstable,' she thought to herself.  
"You doubt me." The woman said, before Astrid could introduce herself.

"I'm sorry? No, I don't doubt you. My name is Astrid. My former colleagues told me that you requested to speak with me." Astrid glanced down at the notes, that Captain Singh had given her, earlier. This woman had been claiming that she was a goddess and that her powers were fading away, due to people not believing in her.  
"Your former colleague? As in The Flash?" the woman asked her with a smile.  
"I'm sorry. What? Why do you think the Flash is my colleague?" Astrid asked.

"Because he is. His name is Barry Allen, and you are Astrid Sutherland, former criminal Psychologist for CCPD, current CEO of STAR Labs, a telepathic meta-human and an amazing warrior woman. But, you have recently had your heart broken and you are becoming a cynic when it comes to love and romance…" The lady said.  
Astrid's eyes stared in astonishment at the woman, "how… how…" she couldn't believe what she was hearing, had this woman been following her?  
"How do I know all that, child? I am Aphrodite. The goddess of love, of course." She replied. The way she spoke reminded Astrid of Glinda in the Wizard of Oz, a film that Astrid had been obsessed with as a child.

Astrid couldn't speak. Even with the bracelet that increased her powers, she still could not get a reading. Which was astonishing as the bracelet even allowed her to read Barry's thoughts.

"I need to…" she began as she got up, this was the first time that a client had ever made her feel this bewildered and amazed at the same time.  
"Be my guest… Barry Allen would be the perfect man to use as an example." Aphrodite said.  
Astrid ran to the door, opened it, and spotted Barry down the hallway. She closed the door behind her. "Barry… I need your help," she called to him.

Barry and some of the officers looked at her in confusion, nonetheless, Barry walked over to her. "Is everything okay, Astrid?"  
Astrid was having problems explaining things to him… but she managed to blurt out, "Do you remember when I believed you that your father was innocent and no one else did, even though it seemed very impossible and everyone thought that you were crazy… except for me?"  
Barry looked at her confused, "Yeah?"

"Well, please don't think that I'm crazy… I think I'm dealing with an actual goddess… you know from all those myths, legends and stuff?"  
"Astrid… you're one of the most rational people that I've ever met… but that seems a little…"  
She stared at Barry, pleading for him to believe her.  
"Okay… I believe you." He said.

She led him into her office to meet with the woman and he sat on the chair next to Astrid.  
"It's good that I have the two of you here." Aphrodite said. "I have a problem… You see, at this time of year there are so many people who have been hurt by love. They stop believing in it, and they stop believing in me. Which makes things a little difficult for me. You see, the less that they believe in me, the more I lose my powers. So the two of you will be my subjects. Astrid, you're an amazing woman, a fighter and a face that the public will recognize. Barry. You're the Flash…"  
Barry looked over at Astrid, "You told her?" he asked. She shook her head to say 'no'.

"Of course, she didn't, child. She has no need to tell me your secrets… But that gets me back to what I am going to propose. The two of you will be my example of love." Aphrodite said.  
"Excuse me?" Astrid asked. "Barry's my friend, he and Caitlin would be perfect for your little demonstration. But leave me out of this one, please."  
"Astrid, you being an anomaly is what brought you to my attention… you being a cynic when it comes to love makes you the perfect candidate." Aphrodite said.  
"Er… I'm sorry… if it's Astrid you want, maybe you should just go over to Gotham City and bring back…"  
"Don't say his name, Barry!" Astrid snapped.

"My darlings… No, the two of you don't understand… I need people to believe in me… That I am the goddess Aphrodite. The two of you are a very unlikely couple… so that makes the pair of you absolutely perfect." Aphrodite said, looking at them both.  
Barry and Astrid looked at each other, mortified at what the woman had planned. She clicked her fingers, and disappeared before their very eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Barry arrived bright and early at STAR Labs before anyone had arrived. It was Valentine's day and he was pumped and ready for the day. He looked at the clock, it was only five am. No one would be there for at least another two hours.  
He looked around at the decorations that Caitlin had put up the day before, and heard the emergency alert. A robbery at the jewelers. He put on his suit and raced out of the facility all the way to the jewelry store.

Two simple criminals, easy done. He cuffed them up to the post box on the street with a note addressed to the authorities saying 'these are the guys, you're looking for, have a LOVEly day... From your friendly, scarlet speedster, the Flash!'

He went back inside, found a beautiful necklace and put some money and a letter explaining what he had bought, and left them on the counter for when the owner arrived.  
He returned back at STAR Labs with flowers and chocolates and decorated the office of his chosen valentine.  
As Caitlin arrived to the floor bright and early, she saw Barry leaving Astrid's office.  
"Barry, is everything okay? I didn't think Astrid would be here by now." She said.

"No, she's not in there, I just left a surprise, in there for her. I hope she likes it! Maybe, I should go and get her." Barry replied.  
"No, don't go get her... but is this a surprise that I want in on?" Caitlin asked, "Anything to cheer that girl up."  
"I don't think that it's something you'd be interested in." Barry said, he left STAR Labs, leaving Caitlin wondering why he had left so soon and why he hadn't even said 'Happy Valentine's Day.'

When Astrid arrived to work, Caitlin and Harry were puzzled by her oddly cheery demeanor. She skipped as she went in to her office, and after she closed her door behind her, she let out a shrill scream, which sent Harry and Caitlin running in after her.  
"Astrid, are you o…?" Caitlin gasped midsentence as she saw the surprise that Barry had been referring to. The office was filled with flowers, red balloons and chocolates. Astrid held in her hands a beautiful silver necklace with the letter A attached to it, the one that Barry had purchased from the jewelers.

As Astrid read the note, she hid it behind her back.  
"Astrid, is that from Barry?" Caitlin asked her.  
"Nope!" Astrid lied with a smile on her face, which made Caitlin very angry. She stormed out of Astrid's office to call Barry.  
Harry approached Astrid, took the note from her and read it.

"It's not like Barry to have a mistress… much less for you to be her. He's with Caitlin." Harry said to the giddy looking girl.  
"Harry… it's a little hard to explain…" Astrid began. "It's love! Sent straight from Aphrodite herself, absolutely beautiful and pure in all its forms... Barry even wears a red suit! So it's just so perfect… Oh my god! I have to buy him something, or do something! We need to get Thawne to confess to Nora's murder now, even if we force it out of him… then we can get Henry out of prison… that would make Barry so happy!" she was acting like a love sick school girl.

"Leave that with me." Harry said, he left her in her office making some phone calls. Her mentioning the name 'Aphrodite' had made him think. Constantine should have the answers when it came to the work of the Gods and demons.  
Caitlin was in the middle of abusing Barry on the phone, in relation to the extravagant gifts that he had done for her friend. She slammed the phone down and went to storm out, when Harry called her to his office.

"None of them are in their right frame of mind, Caitlin. Astrid just mentioned a name to me that might have a whole lot to do with this mess. Aphrodite!" Harry said.  
Caitlin laughed skeptically and angrily, "Your blaming their ridiculous behavior on a mythical goddess?"  
"Exactly. But there are more to these myths than you and I know, but I have a friend who is in fact trained when it comes to these situations."  
"What are you talking about? I thought you didn't have any friends." Caitlin said bitterly.  
"He's more of an associate…" Harry said.

"…The man's talking about me, love!" the voice of a British man spoke from behind her. She turned to see a man in a brown trench coat.  
"The name's John Constantine… and Aphrodite is one powerful goddess to mess with." he told her, with his arm stretched out for her to shake.


	3. Chapter 3

Astrid arrived at CCPD by nine in the morning. She was wearing a beautiful red dress and her hair was done up in a way that would resemble the old Olympian goddesses of old.  
Of all the times that she had worked at CCPD she knew that Barry would arrive at least twenty minutes later. Which gave her enough time to buy him some big belly burgers.  
She had also brought two coffees, which she hoped wouldn't get too cold by the time he arrived. She also had some soft music playing on his computer nearby.

She sat on his desk and waited for five minutes, she knew that she couldn't be bothered waiting any longer so she called him. "Hi Barry. I'm in your office at CCPD with a Big Belly emergency!" before she could finish her sentence he arrived.  
"Big belly emergency?" he asked her with a smile.  
"I bought coffees and breakfast!" she said returning the smile.

"And soft music?" Barry asked as he could hear it playing in the background.  
"Yep." She climbed off the desk and handed him a coffee. "I loved the surprise back at STAR Labs!" she replied ecstatic.  
"You're wearing the necklace!" he said as he saw it adorning her neck, she nodded, once again like a giddy school girl.  
"Barry, it's remarkable… You're at work on time!" Captain Singh said as he had just barged into the office. "Sorry, Astrid. I didn't know that you were in here, that is a beautiful dress though!"

Barry and Astrid both turned to him, waiting to hear what he had to say.  
"While you're both here, we're still on the search for that woman yesterday. Do you think she was a meta-human, with the way that she just disappeared?" Singh asked them.  
"She was Aphrodite." Astrid said with a smile.  
"You're believing her ridiculous notion?" Captain Singh asked her.

"It's true, Captain." Barry agreed. "She was the goddess herself. She brought the two of us together." Barry said cupping Astrid's chin in his finger and thumb and smiling at her.  
Captain Singh felt uncomfortable by the notion, "Barry… I get that you'd believe in all of this… whatever it is, but Astrid. You're a skeptic. That woman was mentally disturbed. You should know that."

"That's why she came, Captain Singh! So everyone would believe in love again… that they would believe in her again… She needs people to worship her!" Astrid explained.  
Captain Singh stared at them long and hard and looked around at the scene in Barry's office. The music, the coffee, the food and even the way that Astrid was dressed.  
"Are you two feeling okay? Barry, I'm going to give you the afternoon off… go and get some rest… Astrid… I get that I'm no longer your boss… but quit working so hard!" as Singh turned to leave, he was face to face with Joe. "Joe… whatever is wrong with the two of them… can you sort it out?" the captain asked as he left as fast as he could.

Joe was confused about what he was referring to until he saw the pair in the office. "Barry… Astrid? What's going on here?" he asked them.  
Barry held Astrid's hand and smiled, "It's Valentine's Day, Joe. My Valentine and I were just leaving. Captain Singh gave me the day off!"  
"I can see that, son. But why is Astrid your Valentine, and not Caitlin?" Joe asked as he tried to hold back a laugh.

"Because Aphrodite wants us to be together, Joe… You should really find a valentine too! You deserve it!" Barry said as he pat Joe on the back. He surprised Astrid by picking her up, along with the bags of Big Belly Burger and sped out of CCPD to have a picnic in the park. Joe picked up his phone and dialed STAR Labs immediately, to find out what the hell was going on.

"You mean to tell me that the girl that Astrid interviewed yesterday, was a goddess?" Joe asked Caitlin, Harry and their new friend John Constantine, as they were gathered together in the cortex.  
"Yes, a goddess of beauty, love and all that nonsense…" John Constantine replied.  
"That explains Barry's talk about Aphrodite… but why would she come to those two?" Joe asked.  
"My guess is that her attention was on Astrid when she found out that she was an anomaly," Harry replied, "Maybe her recent cynicism over the whole holiday made her the perfect candidate. Not to mention, she is a public figure."

"But that doesn't explain Barry." Caitlin said. "She could have just gone to Gotham City and arranged for Cisco."  
"No, that would be too easy. It needed to be something big to make people believe. You see, if people don't believe in her, they don't worship her… If they don't worship her, she loses her powers." John Constantine said.

"Like fairies…" Caitlin said, remembering Tinkerbell in the movie Peter Pan.  
"Precisely! Creepy little bastards those things are…" John replied. "So my guess is that, Barry and Astrid will be her examples to make people believe and worship her. When she is done with them, then she will release them."  
"When she is done with them?" Joe asked.  
"That's what I said, isn't it?" Constantine said.  
Caitlin groaned and slumped down at her desk. She was tempted to call Cisco to let him know what was going on. But she resisted the urge, remembering her promise to her friend.


	4. Chapter 4

Barry laid out on the grass at the park, as Astrid sat beside him smiling at all the happy couples around them. They had just finished their breakfast. Today was a beautiful day, the weather was perfect and there didn't seem to be any crimes being committed.

"You look so beautiful, Astrid." Barry said, "You should really wear your hair like that much more often."  
"Really? Thank you, Barry. It means a lot coming from you, I mean… you're the Flash. You're a real hero and I just can't believe that you and I are together… it just seems so… magical! Like in a Disney movie or something." she said with that same giddy school girl tone. He sat up next to her, facing her. Their faces inched closer, towards each other's, ready to kiss, when they heard someone throwing a bouquet of flowers into a bin.

They looked over at the person, and got to their feet making their way towards the man. He seemed to be crippled in love. "Hey," Astrid said softly to the man who seemed broken-hearted. "What's the matter? You can tell me." She compelled him to speak with her mind control.  
"I just proposed to my boyfriend, and he rejected me. He said that he isn't ready to be open about or relationship, just yet. Something about fearing that people will look at him differently." The man said.

"What's your name, sir? And what is your boyfriend's name?" Barry asked him.  
"My name is Rob. His name is David, David Singh and he works for CCPD," Rob told them.  
Barry and Astrid smiled at each other, "Leave it with us, my friend. And then propose to him tonight. I assure you, that he will say yes." Barry said.  
Rob looked at him awkwardly, but took his word and walked away, unsure what to think of the two strangers.  
"Too easy," Barry said, "Can you give me a moment, Astrid?"

"If it's to do what I think it is, take two…" she replied. Barry leant forward, giving her a quick peck on the lips and disappearing quickly to speak with Captain Singh.  
He found Captain Singh in his office and closed the door behind him. "Barry, didn't I give you the day off?" the captain asked.

"Oh, this counts… I assure you. But as we were in the park, we ran into a man who was quite upset… he was throwing a whole bouquet of flowers in the bin… such a waste…"  
"…Just come out with it, Barry!"

"It was Rob. And he said that you turned him down out of fear!" Barry said quickly.  
"Barry, that's none of your business." Captain Singh said.  
"But I'm making it my business, does he make you happy?"

Captain Singh went to demand that Barry leave, but he gave in. "Yes, he does." Singh said.  
"Check one. Do you want to spend the rest of your life with him?" Barry asked.  
"Barry… Fine, yes. I do."  
"That's check two… One more check…" Barry said.

"Look, you don't understand, Barry. Look at where we work. This place is filled with egotistical men who will lose all their respect for me as their captain!" David Singh said angrily.  
"…and here comes my Check three… This gives you the opportunity to set an example on the force for all those who are afraid to love who they want to love in the name of Aphrodite herself!" Barry said. He patted David Singh on the shoulder, "Now, go get him!" Barry said encouragingly.  
David Singh felt the moment that something had come over him. The rush that he felt when Barry had pat him on the shoulder. He knew within him that the woman had indeed been Aphrodite and she must have instilled some power into the young forensic scientist.

David Singh stood up from his table and went to call Rob, to invite him to come to the precinct as soon as possible. He was going to propose to him in front of the entire precinct, not caring who saw him, all in the name of Aphrodite.  
Barry returned to the park where he found Astrid speaking with a couple who had just had an argument. She had managed to stop their argument, and the couple were now making out passionately.  
"Good work, Astrid." Barry said.

"I thought you might approve." She said with a smile as she took Barry's hand and they continued to walk through the park.  
Joe stepped into the precinct, just in time to see David Singh proposing to his boyfriend.  
"I was going to ask you again tonight," Rob answered, "But yes, I will marry you!" There was a large applause throughout CCPD.  
"Wow, can you believe that?" Cecille Horton, the District Attorney, asked Joe.

"You'd be surprised..." Joe replied. The truth was, that he was interested in Cecille, and ever since Barry had patted him on the shoulder that morning, Joe had felt the urge to ask her on the date.  
"Hey, Cecille?" he asked.  
"Yeah, Joe?"

"Are you doing anything later on?" he asked her. She directed her attention to the news on the television in the corner, "Is that Barry and Astrid? I didn't realize that the two of them were a couple!" she said.  
Joe turned to where she was looking, "This is going to hurt Caitlin and Cisco," he said under his breath at the news report. The news was declaring that Barry Allen was Astrid Sutherland's new arm candy. It had an image of the two of them enjoying their romantic picnic.


	5. Chapter 5

As Caitlin switched off the news report out of frustration, Harry and John Constantine tried to determine a plan to capture the goddess Aphrodite herself.  
"What the hell is going on with Astrid and Barry?" Cisco's voice called out angrily from over Caitlin's shoulder. He had just breached himself into the cortex, from Gotham City.  
"You saw that news report, huh?" Caitlin asked him.

"How could I not? I thought you and Barry were a couple, but now he and her… what the hell, Caitlin?" Cisco's voice was loud and angry, but the anger was not directed at her.  
"It's all in the name of the goddess, Aphrodite!" Caitlin said, just as annoyed as he was.  
"Explain, Cait." Cisco snapped, so she did.

"So Barry and Astrid have no control over themselves, whatsoever?" Cisco asked, slightly relieved, though still very much uncomfortable.  
"The woman is a goddess, whatever your name is… so no, the two of them stand no chance!" John Constantine said as he entered the cortex from Harry's office, with Harry following in after him.

"My name is Cisco… Hey Harry, who's your friend? Wait… you have a friend? This is news… no… this is a miracle! Alert the masses… DR Harry Wells has a friend!" Cisco said with sarcasm.  
"Cisco, quit being a jerk!" Caitlin snapped.

"I'm sorry, Cait." Cisco said buttoning his lip. He knew that Caitlin wouldn't be handling this very well, considering she and Barry were meant to be dating. Cisco was mad because he was still in love with Astrid and the thought of her with anyone else angered him a great deal. All the more as Barry was their friend.

"You really shouldn't be here anyway, Cisco." Caitlin said. "Astrid made me promise not to call you as she doesn't want you around, especially today of all days."  
"Well, in truth, you didn't call me… that news report did, well, you know what I mean. So Harry, I suppose that you and… this guy here should have a plan to fix them." Cisco said as he looked over at Constantine.  
"Summon a goddess, yes… fix your friends… no." Constantine said.

"So, you said her name was Aphrodite? Let me run a search!" Cisco said. He made his way to his old computer, "Oh baby. I've missed you so much," he told the hardware. He started a search in relation to the old Olympian myths and goddesses, looking for everything he could on Aphrodite herself.

Barry and Astrid entered into Jitters where they saw Iris on her lunch break, sitting at a table. She spotted them immediately. "Barry, Astrid. I just saw the news. This all has to be some kind of scam, right? The two of you?" she asked them.  
"Is that what you think?" Astrid asked Iris.  
"Well, yeah. I mean… Barry's with Caitlin, isn't he?" Iris asked them.  
Barry smiled at Iris, "Iris, you deserve to find someone to make you happy. I really wish that you would." Barry patted Iris on the shoulder, as he had done so earlier with Captain Singh and Joe.

She looked at him awkwardly and left the coffee shop, heading back to work, as Barry and Astrid ordered their coffees and found a table to sit at. They sat close as they faced each other at a small table.

Barry smiled a goofy smile at Astrid, making her blush, as he took her hand in his own. All around them were couples out on dates, enjoying Valentine's Day. Barry and Astrid drank their coffees as they enjoyed the romantic environment around them. "It's so perfect in here, today." Astrid said, "…no fighting, no robberies, no reason for you to go out in your red suit… It's actually a shame… the red would be perfect for a day like today… and… it would match my dress."  
"You want me to get my suit?" he asked her.

"No, I just think that it would be the perfect color for the day. Maybe we should hold another charity event in honor of Aphrodite herself."  
"I think that's a great idea. But how would we reach her?" Barry asked.  
"How do you think that I've been in contact with her all this time? She's telepathic, sweetheart." Astrid said with a smile.  
"Well, it's settled then. We'll go back to STAR Labs and organize something now… but first, there's something that I have been waiting for all day." Barry said with a smile, before she could speak, he kissed her.

When they parted, Astrid smiled and stood up. "Let's go back to STAR Labs and prepare everything for the Flash Dance…" she said.  
"Flash Dance? Wasn't that based on a movie?" Barry asked as he stood up with her

"A really good one in fact, but it could be a Central City tradition to encourage love and romance, and the Flash will most certainly have to attend." She said.  
"I like that idea, and I'm certain that the Flash will too. Let's go back to STAR Labs and plan it!" Barry said. He held her hand and led her quickly out of Jitters.  
Barry sped them up to the cortex, like a group of love sick teenagers, that were oblivious to anyone else around them, laughing and giggling to their own private jokes.  
They found the group busy working at Cisco's computer and took no notice that Cisco was even there, nor that Caitlin and Cisco were entirely uncomfortable with their displays of affection.

"Okay guys!" Barry announced, "We have the best idea! We're organizing an event for tonight… We're calling it the Flash Dance… and before anyone asks… yes, we know it's from a movie. But we figured it would be a great way to celebrate Aphrodite!"  
Astrid giggled as she held Barry's hand. "…and the Flash will be making an appearance. I'm going to call my party planners!" she let go of Barry's hand and ran in to her office to make the phone calls.  
"What the hell, man!" Cisco yelled at Barry.

"Cisco, remember. They're under Aphrodite's influence." Caitlin said, also angry. Cisco, stormed after Astrid, making his way into the office where he found her on the phone.  
He waited for her to finish her phone call, and when she did he wasn't sure where to start.  
"Astrid, whatever is going on… you and Barry? What the hell? Aphrodite? Please help me try and understand!"  
"Oh, Cisco. I asked Caitlin not to call you, but that's okay that she did. I want you to find someone who will make you happy. I understand that I couldn't make you happy… but I really want you to find someone who…"

"What?" Cisco asked her. "Astrid, you did make me happy. You do make me happy. I love you, open your eyes, you can't be that blind. I just cant believe that I've come back to this whole love spell thing between you and Barry. This sucks, Astrid. It does. But I get that you are not in control of any of this, so…" Cisco ran up and kissed her, he felt the moment that she kissed him back, but then she stopped herself.  
"Cisco… I… I need to get back to planning this event." she said softly, as she waved him out of her office, trying to come to terms with what had just happened.


	6. Chapter 6

Cisco couldn't believe what had just happened. He sat back down at his computer and glared at Barry, who was clearly still oblivious to his anger.  
"Barry, can you come with me to my medical bay?" Caitlin asked, as she led the speedster to her part of the floor. He sat on the medical bay bed, where he had sat countless times.  
"Do you understand anything that is happening with you?" she asked him, as she checked his pupil dilation and his other vitals.

"I do, Caitlin. I really do." Barry said with a smile. "Astrid and I have been chosen to spread the word of Aphrodite. To spread love and joy and not cynicism. Astrid even speaks telepathically to Aphrodite herself. It's so cool."  
Caitlin stared at Barry. "Telepathically?" she repeated.

"Yeah. I can also help people find love just by tapping them. You see, she gave us gifts! So we can help, and the dance will be the best way to spread the word." Barry finished.  
Constantine, who had heard the entire conversation broke in. "Barry, I think this event will be a brilliant idea. Do you believe that she will actually make an appearance?"  
"Astrid said she will. Aphrodite is in her mind and she guides her!" Barry said.  
John looked over at Harry. "I need to speak with the girl." He told DR Wells.

Harry had been hoping to avoid the confrontation between Kent Nelson's real daughter and John Constantine. Partly because he was the one other man that new Astrid's real identity, Astrid could read his mind and get the answers from him.  
But he had no choice in preventing them from speaking, especially when the gods were concerned.  
Constantine made his way towards Astrid's office where he found the young woman still in her giddy state.

"So, your friend Barry says that Aphrodite speaks to you in your head." John said.  
"Wow, I like your accent!" she told him.  
"Yes, everybody likes the accent. But do you want to tell me what is going on with you?"  
Astrid paused for a moment. "Yes she does. But why is that any of your concern?" she asked him.  
"Well, it seems that your friends out there are worried about you, and I owe it to the man out there to help you." He told her.  
"You owe it to who?"  
"Your friend DR Wells."

"Well, I don't need your help. neither does Barry. Aphrodite would prefer that you kept your nose out of this, Mr John Constantine." Astrid said stubbornly.  
In her mind, Aphrodite told her that there were secrets that this man was hiding. Astrid was tempted to read his mind, but she resisted.  
"Bullocks! I will not keep my bloody nose out of this, you tell her that!" Constantine said pointing at Astrid.  
"Woah! Don't shoot the messenger." Astrid said calmly.

"I apologize, love. But I want to help you. What would she suggest that we do?" he said taking a deep breath.  
Astrid closed her eyes for a moment to listen to the words of the goddess. When she opened them, she spoke again. "Allow us to hold our party, enough for her to gain her worshippers. Enough to sustain her powers for a year."

Constantine shook his head, "Have it your way." He stormed out of the office, and Astrid wasn't sure whether he was mad at her or the goddess herself.  
"We're letting those two fools hold the party." He said angrily to Harry and Cisco, who were sitting at the computer desk. "The things that Kent would say if he was here!"  
Harry glared at Constantine, angry that he had given up the name in front of Cisco.  
"Who's Kent?" Cisco asked.

"Nobody, Ramon. Forget you heard anything!" Dr Wells snapped.  
"Woah… when you say that, then I know that you're hiding something!" Cisco said, all the more curious.  
"Just forget you heard anything!" Harry argued.

"He's the other name for DR Fate. An agent for the Lords of Order…" Constantine said.  
"The Lords of Order? As in those that oppose the Lords of Chaos? Dude! Things just got real! Hey, maybe we should ask him to help! Barry said that DR Fate was the guy that helped him reset the timeline…" Cisco exclaimed, excitedly.

"No, Ramon! We cannot get him to help us!" Harry demanded. "Under no circumstances will we bring him here, besides… he's not an easy man to reach."  
"So, what? Just let Astrid and Barry hold their little dance to this Aphrodite? I can't stand seeing the two of them together and neither can Caitlin."  
"That's exactly what we're going to do." Constantine said, "The last thing we want is to anger the gods, when they have no desire to hurt anyone. Those guys are vengeful bastards that you don't want to fuck with."

"Wow… that's a lot of language…" Cisco said with a laugh.  
"He's right, Cisco." Harry said, "So keep your emotions under control, besides… you dumped Astrid. Do you know how hard she has been working to get over you? You will stay out of the way or I'll drag you back to Gotham City, myself!"  
"Okay… I got it!" Cisco said under his breath, glad that Wells was unaware that he had just kissed the girl.

They watched as Astrid left her office and made her way to Barry. Caitlin left the awkward situation immediately to join Cisco, Constantine and Harry.  
"I don't know if I can do this." She said sadly.  
Cisco put his arm around her shoulder. "You will be able to get through this, because I'll be there with you. The goddess needs worshippers. We'll get them for her!"  
Cisco turned on his chair and began posting various blogs throughout the web and social media to provide the goddess Aphrodite with as much recognition and praise as possible.  
"Hey Astrid?" he called out, "Give me the details for this Flash Dance thing… I'll send out the word!"


	7. Chapter 7

The hall was decorated beautifully by six pm and the party was in full swing with an Olympian Gods theme. In the very center of it all stood Astrid in an Olympian white gown and Barry by her side in a black suit.

"You look beautiful, my Valentine. This party is beautiful! And so many people have turned up…" Barry said. "Look, there's captain Singh and his fiancé Rob… and Look Joe's over there with… Who's that? Isn't she that the DA, Cecille? At least, he took my advice, for once. But where's the rest of the group?"

"They stayed upstairs." Astrid replied, "but that's okay, I can feel that Aphrodite is pleased with how many have come. But that's half the battle, they will all worship her by the end of the night. Do you think the Flash will make an appearance? It won't be a Flash dance without him!"  
"Why don't you dance with Barry Allen first. This guy has been waiting to dance with you since the moment we arrived." He said, so she agreed to his request.

Suddenly, their phones sounded off with the emergency alert. "Let Frost, answer it." Barry said, as he ignored the call, and rested his arms back around Astrid's shoulders.  
She smiled at him and rested her head on his chest enjoying the dance. But then the emergency alert went off again. This time both of their phones were ringing.  
Barry took his phone out and phased his hand around it, crushing it into tiny pieces and letting the shatters fall to the floor. Astrid handed him, her own phone and he did the same thing with hers. She smiled at Barry and the two of them got back to dancing, as if nothing had happened.

"I can't believe it!" Cisco said, angrily as he watched Barry and Astrid's tracker signals disappear from the computer screen. "Those guys seriously just crushed their phones! I guess that means that I'm dealing with this emergency. Caitlin! Is Frost up for some action?" he asked her.  
"Yeah, anything's better than sitting around here all night!" Caitlin said as she allowed Frost to take over. Cisco put on his goggles and formed a breach, taking them over to the location where there was a current hostage situation, leaving Harry and Constantine at STAR Labs by themselves.

They found a man and a woman ransacking the museum. The night staff were currently all bound and gagged on the floor, as the crooks went through the priceless artifacts.  
"Not tonight, Bonnie and Clyde!" Cisco shot out. "The two of you will be enjoying this Valentine's Day in prison… Not in the way that sounds… Because you will both be in separate prisons and…" Cisco said the moment that they had breached their way into the middle of the action.

Frost raised her eyebrows at him in disbelief, "Let's just get this over with…" she interrupted him.  
"Oh, yeah! Frost, I'll get the hostages to safety, these guys don't seem so dangerous!" The crooks watched Cisco and Frost in disbelief. They had expected to see the Flash, not these clowns.

As Cisco ran towards the hostages, the female crook pointed a gun at him, but Frost shot it out of her hands with an ice blast. Cisco created a breach and encouraged the hostages to make their way through it, telling them that it would lead them all to safety.

As the last hostage went through, the male crook aimed his gun at Cisco. But he shot a vibrational blast in the man's direction, knocking him backwards. He ran up and cuffed him quickly. "and that's how it's done!" he said. Frost had already apprehended the woman and was waiting for him to finish wasting time. The police arrived onto the scene, so Cisco breached them back over to STAR Labs.

"Vibe and Frost… kicking ass! Who says that we even need the Flash or Mind Marvel?" Cisco said giving Frost a high five.  
"Mind Marvel?" Frost asked. "Does she know that you've already given her a name?"  
"Not yet, but I've been waiting to tell her… when she's ready of course… but that's beside the point… We don't need them… we can fight crime without them! We make a great team!" Cisco said.

"Okay…" Frost said, mentally laughing at Cisco who was clearly in denial. "so where did Harry and that Constantine get to?" she asked looking around.  
"I'm guessing the dance?" Cisco shrugged. "Maybe we should join them, hopefully that goddess lady has made her arrival and released the others from her clutches."  
"We can only hope." Frost said. She let Caitlin reemerge so she and Cisco left to go down stairs.

Caitlin and Cisco made their way to the dance. "Trust Astrid to organise the most elegant dance of the year for Valentine's day!" Cisco said as they marveled at the party around them. They scanned the packed dance floor, where they spotted Astrid and Barry locked in an embrace, kissing.  
"I think I'm about to bring up my dinner." Cisco said to Caitlin, as they both felt their hearts shatter in to pieces.  
"Me too." Caitlin said, "Let's go find Dr Wells and Constantine, they must be looking for Aphrodite."

As Astrid danced with Barry, she received the message in her mind. "She's here!" she said to Barry with excitement. "I'll go and introduce her!"  
Barry nodded and left to go fetch his red suit. His plan was to publicly announce the goddess herself, as the Flash himself. This would encourage their guests to worship her, as per his example.

Astrid made her way to the stage and stood at the microphone with a large smile. "Good evening everybody, and welcome to our Flash Dance celebration in honor of the goddess of Valentine's Day, herself… Aphrodite!"

There was an applause amongst the crowd. She caught the attention of Cisco and he was in awe of how beautiful she looked in her white gown. Like an Olympian goddess. Mind Marvel was the perfect name for her. He regretted leaving her when he did, but he knew that Harry was right. He needed to keep his emotions in check. He spotted Dr Wells and Constantine approaching the stage and he made his way towards them, along with Caitlin, as Astrid continued on with her speech.

"Tonight her majesty has promised to grace us with her presence, but she will be presented to all of us, by Central City's hero who, until now, has always remained a mystery. He is the scarlet speedster… Let me introduce to you all… The Flash!"  
The applause filled the room, as the red speedster made his way towards the stage and stood next to Astrid. "The mike's all yours… Flash." Astrid said with a grin.  
She stepped to the right of the Flash and noticed Cisco, Caitlin, Constantine and Harry standing in front of the stage. She was fearing that they would have something planned that could ruin the entire night.

She managed to focus on all of their minds at once. She could hear them all thinking at once. Cisco was marveled in her beauty. Caitlin was doing her best to keep Frost at bay. She was angry with Astrid for being with Barry. John Constantine's mind was like a lock box. There were a lot of images in relation to fighting demons, facing gods, fighting with the lords of chaos and fighting alongside a man by the name of DR Fate, Kent Nelson. Astrid remembered the name from the alternate timeline that Barry had been in.  
But for some reason, Constantine was relating Kent to Astrid. There was some significant secret that he was hiding. She went to probe deeper but she heard the crowd grow into applause.

Aphrodite herself was about to make her appearance. Astrid closed her mind link and focused on the large entrance where her majesty was about to enter through, waiting with anticipation.


	8. Chapter 8

As the music changed its tempo, all eyes were on the entrance way, even John Constantine was curious to see if the goddess herself would make an appearance. He had heard along the grapevines that she was losing her powers and this would be the chance for her to gain worshippers.

A sudden change swept over the crowd, before anyone appeared. An aura that calmed and silenced every last one of them. Then he saw her, the Ancient Greek goddess herself. There was not a doubt in his mind. She was the real deal!

The patron of the Amazons, the one who provided Wonder Woman with her beauty. Her long blonde hair fell gracefully down her back and her pink dress left a lot to the imagination. It was skimpy though elegant in its form.  
As she made her entrance, she beckoned for the Flash and Astrid to stand by her side. She took to the stage and Astrid handed her the microphone as if the girl were serving the queen.

She was beautiful indeed, but John did not succumb to her will. The coin that he kept on him at all times, made sure of this. He felt uncomfortable by the sickening display of mindless slaves to this goddess, that were all around him. None of them were in control of their own minds. He understood why she had used Astrid and Barry to do her bidding. It seemed fitting. Even Cisco, Caitlin and the World Walker: Dr Harry Wells himself, were slaves to her power. "Fucking Gods." He murmured under his breath.

Aphrodite began speaking inviting them all to eat, drink and celebrate love and all that is beautiful. But then amidst her speech she eyed the man himself. Constantine had been the one man who stood opposed to her.

When Aphrodite finished her speech she approached the man, the crowd parted around her, giving the two of them space as the floor filled into dancing.  
"John Constantine, if my eyes do deceive me." The goddess spoke to him.  
"You are treating every one of them like fucking mindless fools." He replied.  
"Just for one night, then they can go back to their everyday lives." She said.  
"You're playing them like fucking toys… Like they don't even matter." He said angrily.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I am merely showing them the beauty in love, and erasing the cynicism. Something that you yourself should be quite comfortable with."  
"There is nothing wrong with cynicism, in fact I get by just fine." Constantine said.  
"But not… her… Astrid Sutherland. Now, she is a real wonder. DR Fate's child no less… and she should be dead… But somehow she has escaped countless odds. She has changed the course of time… she will do amazing things…"

"That's why you chose her, isn't it? Because of who she is… You think she is just another Diana? You're mistaken… she's just a meta-human, just an anomaly that Barry Allen went back and saved. No different to the rest of them." Constantine said.

"Perhaps. But there is beauty in her… she has her own destiny, all the gods know that. Why do you think Barry was sent back in the first place? Before he met with DR Fate in his recent little flashpoint. Cynicism will destroy her, will make her vulnerable to the Lords of Chaos… there is more to her than meets the eye… Now, John Constantine, will you care to dance with this goddess?" she asked him.

"Sorry, love. But I'll have to decline your offer. You're not my type!" Constantine said with his strong British accent and a smug smile planted to his face.  
"You're a foolish man to turn down my offer, Constantine." Aphrodite told him.  
"…and you have enough worshippers, your power should be at its highest peak by now… So, maybe you should just be on your merry little way and free the lot of them, on your way out."

"Oh, Constantine… Do you intend on fighting me if I refuse? You wouldn't hurt a girl, would you?" she said with a sultry pout.  
"You said yourself, love. You're not a girl. You're a god… and Gods… I'd like nothing more than to kick their asses… You have heard of me, right?"  
"Well then, John Constantine… Do your best… You'll have to fight my champions first." She said with a smile.

John looked to her sides. Barry, Astrid, Cisco and Caitlin were standing by her, ready to challenge him. All around him, the guests who had attended the party were watching him, ready to attack if necessary. It was clear that they were all out for blood… his blood, in the name of Aphrodite herself.  
John Constantine stared at every one of their faces and said, "Bullocks!"


	9. Chapter 9

Aphrodite slipped out of sight, leaving him to deal with the very angry party guests. He knew that there would be too many to fight, so he performed a sleeping spell to affect most of the guests. That just left the Flash, Astrid, Cisco with his goggles, and Caitlin who had turned into an entirely different being with white hair and ice-like eyes. Caitlin was possessed by something that called herself Frost. Dr Wells had already spoken to Constantine about this, only this was one possession that Constantine would not remove.

Before he could think about his first move, the Flash started running rings around him. "Is that your best move?" Constantine asked him and he spoke a simple incantation that created a shield around himself. Barry ran into the wall of the shield, and bounced backwards at full force.

As Barry regained his composure, Cisco shot a blast of vibrational energy, which bounced off the shield. Frost threw an ice blast which left an impact on the shield. "Now, Barry!"   
she called out, as the speedster had begun charging for the shield, ready to knock it down. "wow, love… you're colder than my last girlfriend." Constantine told her.

He removed the shield and performed an incantation to cast multiple images of himself, to distract the group. While his mind was distracted, the shield in his wall had also been brought down. Which left him vulnerable to Astrid's mind scream.

She sent a shrill scream to the core of his mind, bringing him to his feet. The false images of himself disappeared and so he was visible to the group. "Bullocks!" he said again. He had to think fast, and he was not willing to kill any of them in the process. He brought back up his mind shield.  
Barry was already charging for him. The speedster was winding his arm as if he were ready to punch him. He created more false images and, knew that he couldn't afford another close call. As the group were distracted by the false images, he slipped out of the room, where he came face to face with Aphrodite again. "John Constantine, you've proven your worth. So, have it your way." She said.

"You're willing to admit your defeat, love?" Constantine asked her.  
"Let's just say… for now…" she said with a smile, as she began to walk away. Constantine could hear the commotion from back in the hall. "It can't possibly be that easy…" he said under his breath.

As Constantine headed back towards the hall he saw DR Wells and the rest of the group, walking towards him. They all seemed highly embarrassed as they remembered how they had acted, most of all, Barry and Astrid who couldn't get further apart if they tried.

Astrid stormed past John Constantine without so much as a head turn in his direction. She made her way towards the elevator in silence, the group followed close behind and Dr Wells stopped once he reached Constantine.  
John Constantine was tempted to say 'goodbye' and leave. But he too, followed the group to the 97th floor, in silence.

Astrid rode the elevator up to the cortex. She could remember everything that had transpired that day. Every kiss that she had shared with Barry made her feel very uncomfortable, indeed. The fact that Cisco was there, that he had seen the way that she had been with Barry and the fact that he had kissed her made her feel even more uncomfortable, so silence was by far her best course of action.

When the doors opened, she stormed towards her office, bypassing Cisco, who was clearly breaching himself back to Gotham City. Astrid entered her office, she closed the door behind herself and sat in her seat, with her face in her hands. She was anticipating the moment that she could go home and binge watch Netflix with pizza and ice cream. She just needed everyone to leave.

But, she was met by the person she expected least of all. John Constantine, the man that she had never met until today… When she had been entirely out of her mind.  
"Hello love. It's good to finally meet you without that damn goddess in your head." He said to her.  
"Yeah, right. John Constantine, was it? You're a friend of DR Wells, if I'm correct?" she asked him.

"…and after tonight, I hope that that friendship has been extended to you, also. You see, I was the reason that Aphrodite released her clutches on you and your friend Barry Allen."  
Astrid shuddered as she remembered the thought of she and Barry kissing again. "Yeah, sure. Aphrodite mentioned something like that… But why weren't you manipulated too? What makes you so special?" she asked him.

"Let's just say, that I have a lot of experience with gods and demons. Let's call it… a knack." He said with a smile.  
"Okay… I'll buy that… So why did you help? You don't seem like the type of man who will help out of the kindness of his own heart… Why did you come in the first place?"  
"Well, love… Let's just say that I owed Harry a favor. I helped because I've made a few mistakes, and I knew another girl, her name was Astra… Very similar to yours... I feel like I failed her…" Constantine said.  
"So, repentance then? We're another charity case. Okay." Astrid scoffed.

"No… that's not it either, love. I want to be honest with you. This might anger my friend in the other room… but I was also a friend of your father's." John Constantine said to her.  
"My father? Robert Sutherland? How come we've never met, before?" she asked him, confused.

John Constantine shook his head and left her office. She was too tired to go after him. Caitlin and Barry passed him on their way in. Astrid groaned as she saw them, but she took a few deep breaths and remembered something that she could use as a gift to make up for her mistakes. She pulled out two tickets from her draw in her desk. She knew that she needed to apologize.


	10. Chapter 10

"Caitlin… I really, really, really need to apologize… I think I'm a little more grossed out, no offense Barry! so that adds to my punishment…" Astrid pleaded with Caitlin to accept her apology.

"Astrid, I get it. As torturous as it was for Cisco and I to see the two of you… like that… Neither one of you were in control. It was like Roy Bivolo all over again, but this woman… Aphrodite was a goddess… Remember she had control of all us tonight. But… I really need to ask… The two of you never… you know?" Caitlin asked them both.  
"No way!" Barry said, his eyes wide. "and I'm just glad that we didn't… no offense, Astrid."

"None taken." Astrid said as she shuddered again at the thought. "I don't think I could ever forgive myself if Barry and I ever… ergh! Look, Caitlin I want to give the two of you something, as part of my apology. Every year I get a free trip to this resort for two people. It's part of why I was so angry with Cisco, who has clearly just left without so much as a goodbye… But, I want the two of you to go."

"I can't do that, Astrid." Caitlin said, "It's too much… Remember, you even paid for my honeymoon."  
"Yes, you can!" Astrid said as she stood up and handed the tickets to Caitlin. "Besides they will expire if I don't go. And I'm not going to go just to see all those happy couples. My cynicism for this holiday might be gone… but, I still shouldn't have to feel sad tonight. So, I'm going home to eat some pizza and ice cream and get fat and watch Netflix… that's it!   
I'm set!" Astrid said with a smile.  
"You're sure, Astrid?" Barry asked her.

"Go! Before I make you! And no scary Killer Frost business, please!" she joked as she walked with the two of them into the cortex. It was clear that Cisco had left. It broke her heart a little, but at least it made things easier for her to not have to face him.  
"Okay, we're going!" Barry said with a smile as he took Caitlin and disappeared.  
"That was a good thing that you did for them." Harry remarked.

"It was the least I could do. I felt so bad, and so gross for all that mess." Astrid said with a tired smile. "Do you have any plans for tonight?" she asked him.  
"I do, actually. I'm actually meeting with someone... After I show Constantine, out, that is." Harry said with a smile.  
"Wow. That's great… a word of advice… be nice! Women like nice!" she said as she made her way towards the elevator, she saw John Constantine. "It was nice to meet you… and thank you for your help, tonight." she said to him.  
"Likewise, love." He replied. She waved to him and left.

"You hinted about her parenthood, didn't you?" Wells asked Constantine.  
"I did, actually. I don't really give a shit if you disapprove. She deserves to know. Especially after what that goddess said about her."  
"We will tell her all in due time. Right now, it's just too dangerous." Harry replied.

Astrid arrived home, placed her purse down and closed the door behind her, locking it. Something wasn't right. She performed a mind scan, but couldn't get a reading on anybody.  
She wasn't going to call Barry to intervene, not after everything that the two of them had been through that day. She could smell fire, and someone was making noise upstairs. She picked up an empty crystal vase from her coffee table and stepped silently up the stairs. The smell of fire was faint, but it was still there and it was coming from in her room.  
Her door was closed, but from the crack underneath, she could see a dim light and something moving. Someone was clearly in there. She held the vase above her head, ready to strike and placed her hand on the handle, opening it fast.

"I've caught you!" She yelled ready to strike the intruder on the head with her crystal vase.  
She stopped as she saw the man covering his long dark hair. "Cisco?" she asked baffled. "What are you doing here? I thought that you went back to Gotham City…" she looked around, there were candles lit about her room. That would explain the smell of smoke. There was a movie ready to play on her television. 'the Princess Bride.'  
There was pizza sitting on the bed and wine and glasses on the table.

"I wanted to surprise you after everything that happened today… and everything that has happened between us over the past few months… and then, I remembered that time in high school after Oliver broke up with you on Valentine's day, and you and I spent the whole time eating pizza and watching the Princess Bride… I even bought ice cream… but that's in the fridge… so it doesn't melt… You're not going to bash me over the head with that vase, are you?" he asked her, still shielding his head.

She remembered the vase, and lowered it, placing it on her bookshelf by the door. "No, I'm not going to hit you with it. But, you broke up with me, remember? And then you kissed my doppleganger a month ago… and then today… after everything that happened with Barry… and then you telling me how you felt… and then you kissed me… and… it's just so confusing…"

"…So, I shouldn't have done this for you? Besides… you should feel flattered with the whole dopple-ganger thing, because, she was technically, you… but that's going off topic. But, that's why I wanted to do all this… I wanted to make you feel better. This is just me, putting how I feel about you aside… I want you to be happy, even if we are just friends… or whatever we are… it is pretty confusing, hey?" He said, with a hopeful smile.

"Yeah… it is, but you really hurt me. I'm not sure if you're aware of just how much, you hurt me…" She said.  
"Yeah, I know, I really do… and just knowing that I hurt you is literally the worst thing that I have ever done… ever… but then I figured that you were probably going to go home with movies, pizza and ice cream all alone, with your cynicism… So, I wanted to join you, to make a start on making it all up to you… and so we could end our crappy day together… Just like we used to."  
"In my bedroom?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "With wine?"

Cisco shrugged and went and sat on her bed. He picked up a slice of pizza, "Do you want a slice? Extra of everything? Just the way you like it…" he asked tempting her.  
She followed him and laid on her stomach, beside the pizza box that was on her bed. "Sure… Just like old times, right?" she took a slice and went to take a bite.  
"Right!" he said as he moved the box and laid beside her eating his own.

She smiled at him, "What's surprising is that I'm not actually feeling so cynical." She said.  
"You're not? Wow!" he said with a laugh. "I just can't believe that you kissed Barry… seriously, the two of you were…" he looked as if he were making out with his pizza.  
"Gross! Don't remind me!" she laughed, as she pushed him making him drop his pizza slice on the floor. He quickly scooped it back up, ready to take another bite, as she noticed something, "Hey, Cisco you did forget one thing…"  
"What's that?" he asked her.

"The popcorn!" she told him. "Oh, right… how could I forget?" he asked, with a smile, as he got to his feet.  
"Oh, and don't forget the Twizzlers…" she added with a laugh.  
"Alright… just don't press play while I'm not there." He said as he left the room.  
"You better hurry up then!" she said as she grabbed the remote. "I'm pressing play in five... four... three... two... one..."


End file.
